Last Sunday, Brady and I celebrated our two year wedding anniversary with a weekend getaway to 13 Acres Retreat in Dripping Springs. Fun fact about us: we actually first started hanging out because we went to the same dog park! We had met a few years earlier through a mutual friend, but never really spoke or hung out after that. Then, one day we realized that we frequented the same downtown dog park. Small world, right? We started hanging out– like, a lot— and the rest is, as they say, history.
It’s no surprise, then, that dogs and dog-friendly activities are a big part of our relationship. We love to include the dogs as much as we can any time we celebrate a special occasion. Last year we enjoyed a dog friendly stay-cation at Hotel Havana, and this year we wanted to do something equally as fun and relaxing for our anniversary.
13 Acres Retreat
If you read my recent post about winter weekend getaway for Texans, then you might remember that Dripping Springs made that list. It’s a perfect little getaway spot– remote yet within easy driving distance, gorgeous hill country scenery, and a ton of dog friendly wineries, breweries, and distilleries. You can visit multiple times and not do the same thing twice!
We had considered staying in the Oeste tipis I included in my list of weekend getaways, but then we decided we should try out something new. I searched AirBnB for dog friendly places to stay, and the cute little cabins at 13 Acres Retreat looked perfect!
I mean…how adorable is this place? There are several cabins with different set ups and different views. We chose the Courage Cabin for it’s larger floorplan (we brought all 3 dogs) and the private cliff side balcony overlooking the sunset. Which we actually never saw, because we arrived late on Friday and it was overcast on Saturday, womp womp.
Despite the lack of a stunning hill country sunset, it was truly a lovely weekend. We popped some bubbly on Friday night and sat in the rockers to stargaze. And yes, the stars are amazing in the hill country! It’s not a true dark zone, but the skies are dark enough that you can just make out the Milky Way on a clear, moonless night.
Amenities
Each cabin has a bed with linens, electricity, and air conditioning/heat. The light on the AC/Heater is insanely bright, and we had to cover it up with Brady’s belt on our first night. There is a single serve coffee maker in each cabin along with two mugs, and I believe coffee, cream, and sugar are also provided. We opted to bring our own coffee and almond milk.
Outside of your own personal cabin, there are grills you can use to cook, hammocks, a fire pit, and plenty of community seating. There are two compositing toilets on site, which are also decorated and kept very clean. 13 Acres has a water cooler to fill up your reusable bottle, a sink with soap to wash dishes and your hands, and a shower with hot water. However, it’s an outdoor shower, which is very cute but still cold when the weather was as chilly and gray as it was for our visit. We decided to skip the shower since we were only there for one full day.
If you do bring your dogs, be sure to bring bowls for their food and water, as none are provided. I would also recommend bringing a dog bed or at least blankets for them to lay on, especially if you are traveling with another human. The beds are only full sized, so space is at a premium! A dog bed or blanket is a good way to give your pup a soft spot of their own to lay down.
Overall, the amenities are just enough to make you perfectly comfortable while still feeling connected to nature. It’s exactly what you want when you go glamping!
Relax and Connect with Nature
There is no shortage of nature in the Texas Hill Country which offers up rugged hills, sweeping views, and scrubby brush. Hamilton Pool, Jacob’s Well Natural Area, and Pedernales Falls are all nearby. Pedernales has dog friendly trails, but both Hamilton Pool and Jacob’s Well are nature preserves. This means no dogs allowed, even on leash!
We opted to explore 13 Acres Retreat, which, as the name suggests, is located on 13 acres of land. There are no trails, so it’s very much an exploration rather than a hike! The dogs loved it, of course.
In addition to wandering through nature, 13 Acres has a beautiful deck overlooking the hill country. You can meditate, read, practice yoga, or just nap in one of their hammocks. It is a very peaceful place to be, and we loved sitting in bed sipping our coffee while cuddling with the dogs and enjoying the views from our cabin.
Wineries, Breweries, Distilleries– Oh My!
There is a huge number of wineries, craft breweries, and distilleries that you can check out if you stay in Dripping Springs. From major brands like Deep Eddy Vodka to very small setups you’ve probably never heard of like 12 Fox Beer Co, there are a ton of options. Best of all, they almost all are dog friendly! I, personally, am not a big fan of hard liquor, so most of our experiences have been at the wineries and breweries. There are seriously so many options to choose from!
These are the places we hit up on our weekend getaway to 13 Acres Retreat. All are approximately 20-30 minutes from 13 Acres on winding, rural roads. Remember, please drink responsibly and do not drive drunk!
Jester King Brewery
13187 Fitzhugh Rd
Austin, TX 78736
Jester King is a farmhouse brewery offering up beer, wine, and delicious food. They even have vegan options, which is great since Brady and I are both plant-based. We had the Sweet Potato Baba Ghanoush, which was AMAZING! We also tried the vegan pizza which was less amazing, lol. One of my favorite things about Jester King is that there is a ton of space, so even though it gets crowded, you can usually find a quiet space for you and your dog to hang out.
12 Fox Beer Co
4700 W Fitzhugh Rd
Dripping Springs, TX 78620
We were actually en route to another location when we saw the sign for this cute little spot. Always down to try a new brewery, we decided to stop in for a pint! Sadly, they did not have any of their own beer for sale, as they had run out, but they had other local beers on tap. Their patio was great on a cold gray day, and the rest of their biergarten would be awesome in better weather.
Hawk’s Shadow Winery
7500 McGregor Lane
Dripping Springs, TX 78620
To be completely honest, Hawk’s Shadow is my favorite place in Dripping Springs. This was our second visit, and we definitely loved it just as much as the first time we checked it out! First of all, there is Emmett the winery dog. He hangs out at the winery and loved playing with June and Margot! Secondly, the winery itself is absolutely stunning. It has a beautiful covered patio with sweeping views of the hill country that are hard to beat. Thirdly, the wine is incredible and the winemakers are so much fun to talk to. They are knowledgeable, yet totally approachable, and I love how excited they are to share and talk about their wines!
A Relaxing Weekend
To put it simply, our weekend getaway to 13 Acres Retreat was pretty perfect. It was certainly exactly what we were looking for when we decided to take a little trip for our 2 year anniversary!
We got to relax, savor some one-on-one time with each other, slowed way down, hung out with the pups, and enjoyed the Texas wine trail. I would highly recommend this place for a relaxing weekend trip! And guess what? From now until March, their rates are 20% off!
If you are looking for a relaxing weekend getaway with your pups, I highly recommend this cute little community of cabins.
Map our Our Stay
